The session is designed to stimulate new thoughts and ideas that could help you build influence across your organization.

1. Product Camp 2011 - New York City
“Bridging the Gap”
© Sequent Learning Networks, Inc.

2. Steven Haines
Page 2
• Founder: Sequent Learning Networks
• Founder: The Product Management Executive Board
• Author:
“The Product Manager’s Desk Reference”
“Managing Product Management: Empowering Your
Organization to Produce Competitive Products and Brands”
• Mentor: Founder Institute A global network of startups and
mentors that helps entrepreneurs launch meaningful and enduring
technology companies
• Active membership in PDMA, CMO Council, and other
professional organizations
• Contact: sjhaines@sequentlearning.com 212-647-9100
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

3. Other stuff about me
Page 3
• I’m a finance guy
• I learned almost everything the hard way
• I got lucky – I had good teachers and mentors:
– As a business guy who always worked in technical environments, I
got people inside and outside to teach me the most important stuff
– I asked a lot of questions and took a lot of notes!
• I love businesses and how they work
• I love Product Management because it’s the most
dynamic aspect of any company
• I’m still a product manager
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

4. One Of My Jobs
4
Research to
understand and track
trends related to
Product Management
organizational
effectiveness
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

5. What’s Going On?
5
• Product Management is in
varying states of maturity –
all over
• New “administrations” try
to remake PM as they
search for the best way to
The New Head of Product Management
make PM work
• High levels of variation in
PM practices = inefficiency
• PM, as a “function” ebbs
and flows – like the
business cycle
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
© SequentLearning Networks.
Learning Networks
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
Sequent

6. We Did a Research Project
6
Some Of The Areas We Studied
• Is the role of the product manager
defined and clearly understood
throughout the organization?
• In which key business processes does
Product Management play an important
role?
• Do executives (and others) in various
functions understand the role of Product
Management and is this role balanced
across the organization?
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

7. Tidbits About What We Learned
7
• There is a profound lack of role clarity
– The role of the product manager is not clearly understood by others
– Product managers often have to complete the work of people in
other functions
• The function of Product Management is not well-
integrated with the rest of the business organization
– PMs indicate that there are larger disconnects across the
organization than their bosses realize
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

8. A Verbatim From An Interview
8
“The PM organizational design, structure, and
processes are all built in silos. They do not
resonate across products. In fact, if you ask 5
product managers how they do a specific task,
you will get five different answers.”
A senior executive in a major financial services firm
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

9. Exercise: Talk About Role Clarity
9
• Why Do Roles Get
Confused and
Misaligned?
• What Happens When
People in PM Don’t
Have Enough Clarity
Around Their Role?
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

10. Implications: Roles Clarity
Page 10
• When the role of the PM is not clear, then PMs
become highly reactive and tactically focused
(fighting fires)
• When PMs are tactically focused, they miss
important market signals
• If roles are not clear:
– People become frustrated and feel unaccountable
– Efforts are duplicated across functions
– Decisions may not be made in a timely manner (where
to invest? How to prioritize?)
• Poor quality decisions (or no decisions) may
result in missed opportunities, poor products,
delayed launches, and a host of other problems
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

11. What To Do?
11
• Roles can be made clear when we
know what we need to be clear about
• One starting point: Product
Management Processes
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

12. XF Interdependencies Must Be Mapped
12
Role A
What does A need from B? What does A need from C?
• ___________________ • ___________________
• ___________________ • ___________________
What does B need from A What does C need from A?
• ___________________ • ___________________
• ___________________ • ___________________
Role B Role C
What does B need from C?
• ___________________
• ___________________
What does C need from B?
• ___________________
• ___________________
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

13. Roles Should Be Mapped
For Key Business Processes
Develop
Market Insight
Manage Product Formulate Product
and Portfolio and Market
Performance Strategy
Evaluate and
Launch Planning Prioritize
and Execution Opportunities
New Product
Development
Process
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

14. Role Alignment: Securing Market Insights
Alignment Begins With Clear Objectives
Product Market Account
Manager Researcher Manager
Objectives Objectives Objectives
Improve Product Design Customer Fulfill Quota, Create
Profitability, Research, Tabulate Relationships,
Product Quality, Results, Provide Provide Feedback to
and Market Share Market Intelligence PMs and Others
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.

15. 15
• Questions?
• Thank You!
Product Management Leadership Summit – May 13, 2010
Product Management©Leadership Summit – December 1, 2010
© Sequent Learning Networks
Sequent Learning Networks.